One Day!!

Where did the summer go? I can't believe I'm in Halifax right now awaiting my time to board the ship tomorrow morning. It's such a crazy/anxious/excited/nervous feeling! The last few days have been extremely hectic. After sadly ending my summer job at Peaches & Cream it was time to start packing and saying goodbye. Friday night I went to a goodbye dinner with my best friends from home. It was great to end the summer with them on such a happy note; we had a great time :) Sunday night was my family goodbye dinner to celebrate my going away and Grandma and Grandpa's birthdays. It was a really nice night out with them! My last 4 days home were spent running around town trying to get everything I still needed for the trip. I think I took about 7 trips to Wal-Mart alone because I kept adding things to my packing list :-X Mom helped me pack most of my stuff (or is it she DID pack all of my stuff!) so we would be ready to go Tuesday night. At 6PM we were on our way to NYC for the night. After a scenic tour through the city, right by the Empire State building, we arrived at our hotel across from the airport. The hotel room was the size of a shoebox but we got a good laugh out of it :) Wednesday morning was a VERY early one! Our flight was at 10:20AM out of JFK but we arrived at the airport by shuttle at 8:15AM. Baggage check was first and to our surprise, all 3 were under the 50lb limit (one slid by with a weight of 49.5lbs - HAHA). We browsed a few stores and on our way found the Currency Exchange office. I was able to get money for 7 of the countries I'll be visiting which was a big relief. Mom and I then found our way to gate 31A to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada!! After a tearful call to the grandparents my nerves were setting in. That last hour in the airport was my last hour on U.S. land for 3 1/2 months.

Our flight was on time :) Mom and I didn't have seats next to each other but I got a nice little single seat by the window! The flight was only about an hour and a half and I found a newspaper with a Sudoku game in my seat which passed the time (and calm my nerves!). On the way to customs I met a fellow SASer, Andrea, who was with her parents! They actually sat in front of Mom on the plane. It was great to meet someone else going on the trip and helped ease my nerves. Andrea is also boarding the ship tomorrow and is working in the Student Life office like me! (I'm boarding the ship a day early because I've got a work/study job in Student Life. All work/study students board early to help with Friday boarding. The ship doesn't set sail until Friday!) The customs line took FOREVER but we met 5 other SAS students while waiting :) It was awesome to finally see some faces that will soon become familiar! Our bags were all at the baggage claim so we were off to find a way to our hotel. The cheapest way was by shuttle which runs by all the hotels in the city. I was on the shuttle with 2 other SASers but they were staying at a different hotel. Everyone is so friendly and nice already so it's making me REALLY excited :)

We are staying at the Lord Nelson, a really nice hotel right in the middle of downtown Halifax - you can see the harbor from the street! I still needed a few things once we got to the hotel so we found there was a Wal-Mart about 8 minutes away. We took the Metro bus to Wal-Mart which was a fun little adventure! Canada is so much like the United States but it's still so different! I got everything I needed and we were on our way back! By then, Mom and I were both starving so we headed out to find a place to eat. Halifax is a neat little city and was fun to walk around. We found a pub called the Rogue's Roost. They make their own beer and it was a really cool place to eat! It was great to relax with Mom after all the craziness of the day and we had a great time with each other! Once we were back at the hotel we got my 2 bags ready for tomorrow. It's hard to believe I could fit everything in there but with a few hard pushes the bags zipped! Mom and I went over some final plans for the trip and now here I am, anxiously awaiting tomorrow morning. I'm still a little nervous but now the excitement is sinking in and I'm just ready to see the ship and get settled in and begin the voyage. Words can't express how excited I am and I thank everyone at home and Naz for all their support and good wishes :) You guys have helped put me at ease and I greatly appreciate it! I will miss everyone SO much and will try to stay in touch as much as possible. Facebook will be a life-saver over the next few months!

There will be lots to come in the days that follow! Please don't hesitate to give me feedback - I don't wanna write too much HAHA! I'll post again once I get settled on the ship. Until then, Bon Voyage and let the adventure begin :)